From Global Voices Online (link):
Things have definitely been getting worse for users of MSN services in China since Microsoft recently shifted its Passport login process to Live.com. Following Global Voices Online blogger Frank Dai’s post on this problem two weeks ago, a number of MSN Messenger, Hotmail and MSN Spaces users have started speaking up.
Since May 8, MSN Messenger has been unable to be logged in to, randomly disconnecting and otherwise conking out in Beijing and other inland cities. IT professionals say “this is the first time such steady, widespread paralysis of service has been seen since MSN entered China.” MSN spokespeople say the malfunctions seen have nothing to do with the services MSN provides and that “the main reason is the facilities at local networks are running into problems. MSN has already begun to investigate the problem and will fix it as soon as possible.” MSN Messenger has over ten million users in China and their servers are overseas, so transmitted content isn’t being surveilled by the respective Chinese departments. MSN Messenger’s out-of-the-normality and the recent difficulty in visiting MSN Spaces blogs has inevitably left many people wondering.
See also “Access to MSN Spaces in China” by Global Voices Online (link)
